Pull-out timepiece casing



Nov. 18, 1969 H. G. FREY PULL-OUT TIMEPIECE CASING 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 1. 1967 Rw.. R mp. #A .va J muy. T M R l B u H Nov. 18, 1969 H G. FRY 3,478,507

PULL-OUTV TIMEPIECE CASING Filed May 1, 1967 2 Shee'tswSheet 2 INvEN-r'ofi Hasse-rus G. FesY United States Patent O M' 3,478,507 PULL-OUT TIMEPIECE CASING Hubertus G. Frey, Peru, Ill., assignor to General Time Corporation, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No. 634,962 Int. Cl. G04b 37/12 U.S. Cl. 58-53 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pull-out timepiece casing having a central housing containing a conventional timepiece movement, and a pair of slidable casing sections iitted over opposite ends of the central housing for telescoping movement therewith. When the two sliding casing sections are telescoped over the central housing so that they abut one another, the display face of the timepiece is enclosed and concealed to provide a compact unit suitable for carrying in the users pocket, for example. When the two casing sections are telescoped outwardly away from one another, the display face of the timepiece is revealed. A pair of leaf springs are mounted within opposite ends of the main housing with the ends of the springs extending outwardly through the housing walls into bearing engagement with the inside surfaces of the two slidable casing sections. A pair of stop members are mounted on each casing section so as to abut the exposed ends of the leaf springs when the casing sections are in the open position to provide a positive stop for the open position of the casing. The abutting surfaces of the stop members and the exposed ends of the leaf springs are adapted to retract the ends of the springs by bowing the central portion of the springs inside the housing, thereby permitting the slidable casing sections to be completely removed from the central housing. The housing can then be readily disassembled for repair or cleaning purposes. A pair of grooves are formed in the two walls of the housing adjacent the stop members so as to provide a guiding track of said stop members.

The present invention relates generally to timepiece casings and, more particularly, to an improved pull-out casing having a closed position where the timepiece display face is enclosed and concealed, and an open position where the display face is revealed.

It is a principal object of the present invention to pro-` vide an improved pull-out timepiece casing which provides a positive stop for the open position of the casing, and yet permits the casing to be easily removed for maintenance or cleaning purposes. A related object is to provide such an improved casing which is easy to assemble during manufacture, and is just as easy to reassemble after removal for maintenance or cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved pull-out timepiece casing of the type described above which is simple and economical to manufacture at high volume production rates. In this connection, still another object of the invention is to provide an improved casing which can be ei'liciently manufactured from relatively few low cost parts.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved pull-out timepiece casing of the foregoing type which is extremely durable and compact.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be- 3,478,507 Patented Nov. 18, 1969 come apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a timepiece embodying the pull-out casing of this invention with the casing in its open position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the timepiece of FIG- URE 1 with the pull-out casing in its closed position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of the timepiece of FIGURE l with the right half of the casing in its closed position and the left half of the casing in its open position, the left half of the view being shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a top plan of the timepiece of FIGURE 1 with the two casing sections in the same positions shown in FIGURE 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the upper left-hand corner of the timepiece housing as shown in FIGURE 3 with the solid lines illustrating the open position of the left-hand section of the casing, nad the broken lines illustrating the retraction of the leaf spring during removal of the left-hand casing section from the timepiece housing; and

FIG. 7 is a view of the same structure illustrated in FIGURE 6 with the solid lines illustrating the left-hand casing section in its removal position, and with the broken lines illustrating retraction of the leaf spring during re-assembly of the left-hand casing section and the timepiece housing.

While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrative timepiece includes a housing 10 adapted to contain a conventional timepiece movement, with the front wall of the housing forming an opening to receive a timepiece display face 11. The housing 10 is suitably made in two sections 12 and 13, each made of molded plastic, for example, held together by a plurality of screws 14 passed through the rear section y13 and threaded into cooperating posts 15 formed as integral parts of the front housing section 12. As can be seen in FIGURE 5, the timepiece movement is held between the two housing sections 12, 13 with the winding and setting controlled by a knob 16 which is located on top of the housing and connected to the interior timepiece movement via a shaft 17.

For the purpose of protecting the timepiece when it is not in use, a pair of hollow, open-ended casing sections 20 and 21 are slidably tted over opposite ends of the housing 10 for telescoping movement relative to the housing. When the two casing sections 20, 21 are telescoped away from the housing 10 to the open position illustrated in FIGURE l, the timepiece display face 11 is completely uncovered, with the two casing sections 20, 21 serving not only as decorative end members, but also as additional support means which enable the timepiece to stand on a desk or the like without being readily tipped over. When the two casingfsections 20, 21 are telescoped over the housing 10 to their closed position illustrated in FIGURE 2, the display face 11 is completely enclosed and protected within the attractive casing formed by the two abutting sections; the closed assembly is also extremely compact so that it may be conveniently carried in the users pocket or tucked away in a small storage space. In the illustrative embodiment, the two slidable casing sections 20, 21 are made of a thin, durable metal, such as stainless steel, and are designed to conform almost exactly to the shape of the center timepiece housing so that the overall size of the article is not substantially larger than that of the housing itself when the two casing sections are in the closed position.

In accordance with the present invention, a pair of leaf springs are mounted within the end portions of the timepiece housing with opposite ends of the spring extending out through opposite walls of the housing for direct bearing engagement with the corresponding inside walls of the two casing sections. The exposed ends of the two springs cooperate with two pairs of stop members on the corresponding inside walls of the casing sections adjacent the open ends thereof so that the stop members abut the ends of the leaf springs in the open position of the casing, with the abutting surfaces of the stop members and the spring ends being adapted to cam the ends of the springs inwardly to permit the removal of the casing sections from the housing when the casing sections are pulled with a force sui'licient to bow the leaf springs inside the housing. Thus, referring particularly to FIG- URES 3, 6, and 7, a leaf spring 30 is mounted within a cavity formed in one end of the housing 10 between a circular rib 31, forming the wall of the central movement chamber, and the end Wall 32 of the housing 10. The opposite ends 30a, 30b of the leaf spring 30 are curled to form a smoothly rounded configuration, and extend outwardly through a pair of cooperating openings 33, 34 formed in the top and bottom walls, respectively, of the main housing,

For the purpose of urging the rounded end portions 30a, 30b of the leaf spring into direct bearing engagement with the inside walls of the corresponding casing section tted over the outside of the housing, the length of the leaf spring is made slightly greater than the overall height of the housing 10 so that the spring is bowed as illustrated in FIGURE 3 as long as the spring ends are retained by the casing section 21. In other words, the bowing of the spring 30 biases the rounded end portions 30a, 30b of the spring outwardly against the corresponding inside walls of the casing section 21 so that the casing is always held firmly in position while still being free for sliding movement in response to manual force applied by the user. This biasing action of the leaf spring 30 not only holds the casing section 21 in the open or closed position, so that it does not slide freely back and forth between these two positions, but also prevents the casing from rattling or vibrating when it is in the pocket of the user, for example. The exposed ends 30a, 30b of the spring also provide a positive stop for the casing section 21 in its open position by providing an abutment for a pair of stop members 35, 36 mounted on the inside of the top and bottom walls, respectively, of the casing section 21 adjacent the open end thereof. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the stop members 35, 36 are separate elements spot welded to the main casing section 21, but it will be recognized that the stop members could also be formed as integral parts of the casing section.

In accordance with one important aspect of the present invention, the abutting surfaces of the exposed ends of the leaf spring and the cooperating stop members are adapted to bow the spring and thereby retract the ends of the spring when the casing section is pulled away from the housing, so that the casing is removable from the housing for maintenance or cleaning purposes. This feature also facilitates assembly of the timepiece casing during manufacture. Thus, the curled end portions 30a, 30b of the illustrative leaf spring 30 are rounded at the points where they come into contact with the stop members 35, 36. Consequently, as the casing section 21 is pulled away from the housing, the stop members 35, 36 cam the ends of the leaf spring inwardly and slide thereover to permit removal of the casing section 21 from the housing 10. An opening 37 is provided in the end wall of the housing 10 to accommodate the extra bowing of the leaf spring 30 as the end portions thereof are retracted. A pair of guide ribs 38 formed as integral parts of the front and rear housing sections 12, 13 insure that the central portion of the bowed leaf spring 30 is properly aligned with the opening 37.

To facilitate retraction of the end portions of the leaf spring 30 during removal of the casing section 21, the curled ends 30a, 30b are received in short channels formed within the timepiece housing by pairs of opposed ribs 39, 40 and 41, 42 formed as integral parts of the housing sections 12, 13. Consequently, the end portions ofthe leaf spring 30 are retracted along a path substantially normal to the direction of sliding movement of the casing section 21 to reduce the possibility of binding during the removal operation.

The retracting movement of the end portions of the leaf spring 30 is limited by the two adjacent mounting posts 15 on one side of the spring, and by projecting portions 39a and 41a of the two ribs 39 and 41. These elements cooperate to form a pair of narrow slots to permit sliding movement of the at portion of the leaf spring 30, while preventing passage of the curled end portions 30a, 30b so that the leaf spring 30 cannot drop outof the assembly while the casing section 21 is removed.

The operation of the leaf spring 30 and the cooperating casing section 21 during a typical removal and reassembly operation may be more clearly understood by reference to FIGURES 6 and 7. In FIGURE 6, the casing section 21, the stop member 35, and the leaf spring 30 are shown in solid lines in the normal open position of the timepiece casing. It can be seen that the lower corner of the stop member 35 abuts the rounded end 30a of the leaf spring to provide a positive stopping point for the open position of the casing. If the casing section 21 is now pulled away from the housing 10, the rounded conguration of the spring surface abutting the stop member 35 causes the end portion 30a of the spring to cammed inwardly along the channel formed by the opposed ribs 39, 40, as illustrated by the broken line view in FIGURE 6. As the end portion of the leaf spring is cammed inwardly, the central portion of the leaf spring is bowed outwardly into the opening 37 formed in the end wall 32 of the main housing. After the spring has been retracted as illustrated by the broken lines, the casing section 21 can be easily slipped oif the end of the housing 10 so that the two housing sections can be readily separated for repair or cleaning of the timepiece movement contained therein.

Referring next to FIGURE 7, when the casing section 21 is completely removed from the housing 10, the leaf spring 30 assumes its normal at position as illustrated by the solid line in FIGURE 7. When it is desired to reassemble the casing section 21 on the housing 10, the user simply depresses the end portions 30a, 30b of the leaf spring suiliciently to enable the lower corner of the stop member 35 to engage a portion of the upper slope of the curled spring end 30a so that further advancing movement of the casing section retracts the end portions of the spring in the same manner described above for the removal operation in connection with FIGURE 6. The retracted position of the leaf spring 30 is illustrated in broken lines in FIGURE 7. The casing section is then advanced onto the housing 10 until the stop member 35 clears the spring end 30a, whereupon the spring returns to the normal position illustrated in solid lines in FIG- URE "6, with the outer extremity of the spring bearing against the inside wall of the casing section 21 to hold it firmly in place while permitting sliding movement thereof.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention. a pair of shallow grooves are formed in the top and bottom walls of the timepiece housing to receive and guide the stop members mounted on the two casing sections during telescoping movement of the casing and housing. Thus, referring particularly to FIGURES 3 and 4, a shallow groove 50 is formed in the top wall of the housing and extends continuously .along the full length thereof. The width and depth of the groove 50 are substantially the same as those of the stop member 35 so that the groove 50 functions as a guiding track for the stop member during telescoping movement of the casing section 21 and housing 10. A similar groove 51 is formed in the bottom wall of the housing, and the two grooves 50, 51 function in the same manner with respect to all four stop members. These guiding grooves 50, 51 not only facilitate the sliding movement of the two casing sections 20, 21 over the timepiece housing 10, but also serve to further stabilize the entire assembly to prevent rattling or vibra tion of the two casing sections relative to the main housing.

While only the one casing section 21 and the corresponding associated leaf spring 30 have been described in detail above, it will be understood that the structure of the other casing section 20 and its associated leaf spring are identical since the two casing sections are perfectly symmetrical in the illustrative embodiment. This permits more economi-cal manufacture of the casing assembly since it is not necessary to manufacture different left-hand and right-hand casing sections. In fact, the two casing sections may actually be interchanged with each other without affecting the operation thereof. Moreover, while the invention has been described with particular reference to two symmetrical casing sections, it will be understood that it may be desirable to utilize only one casing section in certain applications, and the advantages of the present invention may be realized in such applications.

As can be seen from the foregoing detailed description, the present invention provides an improved pull-out timepiece casing which provides a positive stop for the open position of the casing, and yet permits the casing to be easily removed for maintenance or cleaning purposes. The improved casing is easy to assemble during manufacture, and is just as easy to re-assemble after removal for maintenance or cleaning. The combination of stabilizing features provides a sturdy overall assembly which not only protects the display face of the timepiece, but is also substantially free of rattling or vibration. Furthermore, the improved casing of this invention is simple and economical to manufacture at high volume production rates, and can be eiciently manufactured from relatively few low cost parts.

I claim as my invention:

1. An improved pull-out timepiece casing comprising the combination of a timepiece housing adapted to contain a timepiece movement and having an opening in one side thereof to receive a timepiece display face, a hollow open-ended casing adapted to fit over one end of said housing for sliding telescoping movement relative to said housing whereby said casing conceals said display face opening in the closed position and reveals said opening in the open position, a leaf spring mounted within an endv portion of said housing with opposite ends of the spring extending out through a pair of opposite walls of said housing for bearing engagement with the corresponding linside walls of said casing adjacent the open end thereof for abutting the ends of said leaf spring in the open position of said casing, said stop members and said opposite ends of said spring forming cooperating cam surfaces for retracting the ends of said spring in response to pulling of said casing away from said housing to permit the removal of said casing from said housing for maintenance or cleaning purposes.

2. An improved pull-out timepiece casing as dened in claim 1 in whi-ch the ends of said leaf spring are rounded to provide said cam action in cooperation with said stop members.

3. An improved pull-out timepiece casing as defined in claim 1 in which said housing forms a pair of shallow grooves to receive and guide said stop members as said casing is moved relative to said housing.

4. An improved pull-out timepiece casing as defined in claim 1 in which said housing in-cludes a pair of internal stop members associated with said leaf spring for limiting the retraction of lthe ends of said spring due to said cam action.

5. An improved pull-out timepiece casing comprising the combination of a timepiece housing adapted to contain a timepiece movement and having an opening in one side thereof to receive a timepiece display face, a hollow open-ended casing adapted to t over one end of said housing for sliding telescoping movement relative to said housing whereby said casing conceals said display face opening in the closed position and reveals said opening in the open position, a leaf spring mounted within an end position of said housing with opposite ends of the spring extending out through a pair of opposite walls of said housing for bearing engagement with the corresponding inside walls of said casing, a pair of stop members on said corresponding inside walls of said casing adjacent the open end thereof for abutting the ends of said leaf spring in the open position of said casing, said stop members land said opposite ends of said spring forming cooperating cam surfaces for retracting the ends of said spring in response to pulling of said casing away from said housing to permit the removal of said casing from said housing for maintenance or cleaning purposes.

6. An improved pull-out timepiece casing comprising the combination of a timepiece housing adapted to contain a timepiece movement and having an opening in one side thereof to receive a timepiece display face, Ia pair of hollow openended casing sections adapted to t over opposite ends of said housing for sliding telescoping movement relative to said housing whereby said casing sections enclose and conceal said display face opening in Ia closed position where the open ends of the two casing sections abut each other, and whereby said casing sections reveal said opening in an open position where the open ends of the two sections are separated from each other, a pair of leaf springs mounted within said opposite ends of said housing with opposite ends of each spring extending out through the walls of said housing for bearing engagement with the corresponding inside walls of said casing sections, a pair -of stop members on said corresponding inside walls of each of said casing sections adjacent the open ends thereof for abutting the exposed ends of said leaf spring in the open position of said casing sections, said stop members on each of said casing sections and said `opposite ends of said springs forming cooperating cam surfaces for automatically retracting the `ends of said springs in response to the withdrawal of the respective casing sections from said housing to permit the removal of said casing sections from said housing.

7. An improved pull-out timepiece casing comprising the combination of a timepiece housing adapted to contain a timepiece movement and having an opening in one side thereof to receive a timepiece display face, a hollow open-ended casing adapted to t over one end of said housing for sliding telescoping movement relative to said housing whereby said casing encloses and conceals said display face opening in the closed position and reveals said opening in the open position, a leaf spring mounted within an end portion of said housing with opposite ends of the spring extending out through a pair of opposite walls of said housing and in direct bearing engagement with the corresponding inside walls of said casing to bias the casing away from said housing, and a pair of stop members on said corresponding inside walls of said casing adjacent the open'end thereof for abutting the ends of said leaf spring to provide a positive stop for said casing in the open position thereof, said stop members and said ends of said spring forming cooperating cam surfaces for 7 8 retracting the ends of said spring 4in response to the 2,719,402 10/ 1955 Schmidt 58-56X telescoping advancement of said casing over said housing 2,780,050 2/ 1957 Florman 58-56 X to facilitate the assembly of said casing and said housing.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner References Cited 5 J. F. GONZALES, Assistant Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,908,150 5/1933 Huguenin 58-88 US01-XR' 2,640,668. 6/1953 schmidt 5888X 58-88;220 .s;24s 116 

